in which some more first appearances are made on the stage of these adventures

though the offices of dombey and son were within the liberties of the city of london, and within hearing of bow bells, when their clashing voices were not drowned by the uproar in the streets, yet were there hints of adventurous and romantic story to be observed in some of the adjacent objects. gog and magog held their state within ten minutes' walk; the royal exchange was close at hand; the bank of england, with its vaults of gold and silver 'down among the dead men' underground, was their magnificent neighbour. just round the corner stood the rich east india house, teeming with suggestions of precious stuffs and stones, tigers, elephants, howdahs, hookahs, umbrellas, palm trees, palanquins, and gorgeous princes of a brown complexion sitting on carpets, with their slippers very much turned up at the toes. anywhere in the immediate vicinity there might be seen pictures of ships speeding away full sail to all parts of the world; outfitting warehouses ready to pack off anybody anywhere, fully equipped in half an hour; and little timber midshipmen in obsolete naval uniforms, eternally employed outside the shop doors of nautical instrument-makers in taking observations of the hackney carriages.

sole master and proprietor of one of these effigies - of that which might be called, familiar!y, the woodenest - of that which thrust itself out above the pavement, right leg foremost, with a suavity the least endurable, and had the shoe buckles and flapped waistcoat the least reconcileable to human reason, and bore at its right eye the most offensively disproportionate piece of machinery - sole master and proprietor of that midshipman, and proud of him too, an elderly gentleman in a welsh wig had paid house-rent, taxes, rates, and dues, for more years than many a full-grown midshipman of flesh and blood has numbered in his life; and midshipmen who have attained a pretty green old age, have not been wanting in the english navy.

the stock-in-trade of this old gentleman comprised chronometers, barometers, telescopes, compasses, charts, maps, sextants, quadrants, and specimens of every kind of instrument used in the working of a ship's course, or the keeping of a ship's reckoning, or the prosecuting of a ship's discoveries. objects in brass and glass were in his drawers and on his shelves, which none but the initiated could have found the top of, or guessed the use of, or having once examined, could have ever got back again into their mahogany nests without assistance. everything was jammed into the tightest cases, fitted into the narrowest corners, fenced up behind the most impertinent cushions, and screwed into the acutest angles, to prevent its philosophical composure from being disturbed by the rolling of the sea. such extraordinary precautions were taken in every instance to save room, and keep the thing compact; and so much practical navigation was fitted, and cushioned, and screwed into every box (whether the box was a mere slab, as some were, or something between a cocked hat and a star-fish, as others were, and those quite mild and modest boxes as compared with others); that the shop itself, partaking of the general infection, seemed almost to become a snug, sea-going, ship-shape concern, wanting only good sea-room, in the event of an unexpected launch, to work its way securely to any desert island in the world.

many minor incidents in the household life of the ships'

instrument-maker who was proud of his little midshipman, assisted and bore out this fancy. his acquaintance lying chiefly among ship-chandlers and so forth, he had always plenty of the veritable ships' biscuit on his table. it was familiar with dried meats and tongues, possessing an extraordinary flavour of rope yarn. pickles were produced upon it, in great wholesale jars, with 'dealer in all kinds of ships' provisions' on the label; spirits were set forth in case bottles with no throats. old prints of ships with alphabetical references to their various mysteries, hung in frames upon the walls; the tartar frigate under weigh, was on the plates; outlandish shells, seaweeds, and mosses, decorated the chimney-piece; the little wainscotted back parlour was lighted by a sky-light, like a cabin.

here he lived too, in skipper-like state, all alone with his nephew walter: a boy of fourteen who looked quite enough like a midshipman, to carry out the prevailing idea. but there it ended, for solomon gills himself (more generally called old sol) was far from having a maritime appearance. to say nothing of his welsh wig, which was as plain and stubborn a welsh wig as ever was worn, and in which he looked like anything but a rover, he was a slow, quiet-spoken, thoughtful old fellow, with eyes as red as if they had been small suns looking at you through a fog; and a newly-awakened manner, such as he might have acquired by having stared for three or four days successively through every optical instrument in his shop, and suddenly came back to the world again, to find it green. the only change ever known in his outward man, was from a complete suit of coffee-colour cut very square, and ornamented with glaring buttons, to the same suit of coffee-colour minus the inexpressibles, which were then of a pale nankeen. he wore a very precise shirt-frill, and carried a pair of first-rate spectacles on his forehead, and a tremendous chronometer in his fob, rather than doubt which precious possession, he would have believed in a conspiracy against it on part of all the clocks and watches in the city, and even of the very sun itself. such as he was, such he had been in the shop and parlour behind the little midshipman, for years upon years; going regularly aloft to bed every night in a howling garret remote from the lodgers, where, when gentlemen of england who lived below at ease had little or no idea of the state of the weather, it often blew great guns.

it is half-past five o'clock, and an autumn afternoon, when the reader and solomon gills become acquainted. solomon gills is in the act of seeing what time it is by the unimpeachable chronometer. the usual daily clearance has been making in the city for an hour or more; and the human tide is still rolling westward. 'the streets have thinned,' as mr gills says, 'very much.' it threatens to be wet to-night. all the weatherglasses in the shop are in low spirits, and the rain already shines upon the cocked hat of the wooden midshipman.

'where's walter, i wonder!' said solomon gills, after he had carefully put up the chronometer again. 'here's dinner been ready, half an hour, and no walter!'

turning round upon his stool behind the counter, mr gills looked out among the instruments in the window, to see if his nephew might be crossing the road. no. he was not among the bobbing umbrellas, and he certainly was not the newspaper boy in the oilskin cap who was slowly working his way along the piece of brass outside, writing his name over mr gills's name with his forefinger.

'if i didn't know he was too fond of me to make a run of it, and go and enter himself aboard ship against my wishes, i should begin to be fidgetty,' said mr gills, tapping two or three weather-glasses with his knuckles. 'i really should. all in the downs, eh! lots of moisture! well! it's wanted.'

i believe,' said mr gills, blowing the dust off the glass top of a compass-case, 'that you don't point more direct and due to the back parlour than the boy's inclination does after all. and the parlour couldn't bear straighter either. due north. not the twentieth part of a point either way.'

'halloa, uncle sol!'

'halloa, my boy!' cried the instrument-maker, turning briskly round. 'what! you are here, are you?'

a cheerful looking, merry boy, fresh with running home in the rain; fair-faced, bright-eyed, and curly-haired.

'well, uncle, how have you got on without me all day? is dinner ready? i'm so hungry.'

'as to getting on,' said solomon good-naturedly, 'it would be odd if i couldn't get on without a young dog like you a great deal better than with you. as to dinner being ready, it's been ready this half hour and waiting for you. as to being hungry, i am!'

'come along then, uncle!' cried the boy. 'hurrah for the admiral!'

'confound the admiral!' returned solomon gills. 'you mean the lord mayor.'

'no i don't!' cried the boy. 'hurrah for the admiral! hurrah for the admiral! for-ward!'

at this word of command, the welsh wig and its wearer were borne without resistance into the back parlour, as at the head of a boarding party of five hundred men; and uncle sol and his nephew were speedily engaged on a fried sole with a prospect of steak to follow.

'the lord mayor, wally,' said solomon, 'for ever! no more admirals. the lord mayor's your admiral.'

'oh, is he though!' said the boy, shaking his head. 'why, the sword bearer's better than him. he draws his sword sometimes.

'and a pretty figure he cuts with it for his pains,' returned the uncle. 'listen to me, wally, listen to me. look on the mantelshelf.'

'why who has cocked my silver mug up there, on a nail?' exclaimed the boy.

i have,' said his uncle. 'no more mugs now. we must begin to drink out of glasses to-day, walter. we are men of business. we belong to the city. we started in life this morning.

'well, uncle,' said the boy, 'i'll drink out of anything you like, so long as i can drink to you. here's to you, uncle sol, and hurrah for the

'lord mayor,' interrupted the old man.

'for the lord mayor, sheriffs, common council, and livery,' said the boy. 'long life to 'em!'

the uncle nodded his head with great satisfaction. 'and now,' he said, 'let's hear something about the firm.'

'oh! there's not much to be told about the firm, uncle,' said the boy, plying his knife and fork.' it's a precious dark set of offices, and in the room where i sit, there's a high fender, and an iron safe, and some cards about ships that are going to sail, and an almanack, and some desks and stools, and an inkbottle, and some books, and some boxes, and a lot of cobwebs, and in one of 'em, just over my head, a shrivelled-up blue-bottle that looks as if it had hung there ever so long.'

'nothing else?' said the uncle.

'no, nothing else, except an old birdcage (i wonder how that ever came there!) and a coal-scuttle.'

'no bankers' books, or cheque books, or bills, or such tokens of wealth rolling in from day to day?' said old sol, looking wistfully at his nephew out of the fog that always seemed to hang about him, and laying an unctuous emphasis upon the words.

'oh yes, plenty of that i suppose,' returned his nephew carelessly; 'but all that sort of thing's in mr carker's room, or mr morfin's, or mr dombey's.'

'has mr dombey been there to-day?' inquired the uncle.

'oh yes! in and out all day.'

'he didn't take any notice of you, i suppose?'.

'yes he did. he walked up to my seat, - i wish he wasn't so solemn and stiff, uncle, - and said, "oh! you are the son of mr gills the ships' instrument-maker." "nephew, sir," i said. "i said nephew, boy," said he. but i could take my oath he said son, uncle.'

'you're mistaken i daresay. it's no matter.

'no, it's no matter, but he needn't have been so sharp, i thought. there was no harm in it though he did say son. then he told me that you had spoken to him about me, and that he had found me employment in the house accordingly, and that i was expected to be attentive and punctual, and then he went away. i thought he didn't seem to like me much.'

'you mean, i suppose,' observed the instrument-maker, 'that you didn't seem to like him much?'

'well, uncle,' returned the boy, laughing. 'perhaps so; i never thought of that.'

solomon looked a little graver as he finished his dinner, and glanced from time to time at the boy's bright face. when dinner was done, and the cloth was cleared away (the entertainment had been brought from a neighbouring eating-house), he lighted a candle, and went down below into a little cellar, while his nephew, standing on the mouldy staircase, dutifully held the light. after a moment's groping here and there, he presently returned with a very ancient-looking bottle, covered with dust and dirt.

'why, uncle sol!' said the boy, 'what are you about? that's the wonderful madeira! - there's only one more bottle!'

uncle sol nodded his head, implying that he knew very well what he was about; and having drawn the cork in solemn silence, filled two glasses and set the bottle and a third clean glass on the table.

'you shall drink the other bottle, wally,' he said, 'when you come to good fortune; when you are a thriving, respected, happy man; when the start in life you have made to-day shall have brought you, as i pray heaven it may! - to a smooth part of the course you have to run, my child. my love to you!'

some of the fog that hung about old sol seemed to have got into his throat; for he spoke huskily. his hand shook too, as he clinked his glass against his nephew's. but having once got the wine to his lips, he tossed it off like a man, and smacked them afterwards.

'dear uncle,' said the boy, affecting to make light of it, while the tears stood in his eyes, 'for the honour you have done me, et cetera, et cetera. i shall now beg to propose mr solomon gills with three times three and one cheer more. hurrah! and you'll return thanks, uncle, when we drink the last bottle together; won't you?'

they clinked their glasses again; and walter, who was hoarding his wine, took a sip of it, and held the glass up to his eye with as critical an air as he could possibly assume.

his uncle sat looking at him for some time in silence. when their eyes at last met, he began at once to pursue the theme that had occupied his thoughts, aloud, as if he had been speaking all the time.

'you see, walter,' he said, 'in truth this business is merely a habit with me. i am so accustomed to the habit that i could hardly live if i relinquished it: but there's nothing doing, nothing doing. when that uniform was worn,' pointing out towards the little midshipman, 'then indeed, fortunes were to be made, and were made. but competition, competition - new invention, new invention - alteration, alteration - the world's gone past me. i hardly know where i am myself, much less where my customers are.

'never mind 'em, uncle!'

'since you came home from weekly boarding-school at peckham, for instance - and that's ten days,' said solomon, 'i don't remember more than one person that has come into the shop.'

'two, uncle, don't you recollect? there was the man who came to ask for change for a sovereign - '

'that's the one,' said solomon.

'why uncle! don't you call the woman anybody, who came to ask the way to mile-end turnpike?'

'oh! it's true,' said solomon, 'i forgot her. two persons.'

'to be sure, they didn't buy anything,' cried the boy.

'no. they didn't buy anything,' said solomon, quietly.

'nor want anything,' cried the boy.

'no. if they had, they'd gone to another shop,' said solomon, in the same tone.

'but there were two of 'em, uncle,' cried the boy, as if that were a great triumph. 'you said only one.'

'well, wally,' resumed the old man, after a short pause: 'not being like the savages who came on robinson crusoe's island, we can't live on a man who asks for change for a sovereign, and a woman who inquires the way to mile-end turnpike. as i said just now, the world has gone past me. i don't blame it; but i no longer understand it. tradesmen are not the same as they used to be, apprentices are not the same, business is not the same, business commodities are not the same. seven-eighths of my stock is old-fashioned. i am an old-fashioned man in an old-fashioned shop, in a street that is not the same as i remember it. i have fallen behind the time, and am too old to catch it again. even the noise it makes a long way ahead, confuses me.'

walter was going to speak, but his uncle held up his hand.

'therefore, wally - therefore it is that i am anxious you should be early in the busy world, and on the world's track. i am only the ghost of this business - its substance vanished long ago; and when i die, its ghost will be laid. as it is clearly no inheritance for you then, i have thought it best to use for your advantage, almost the only fragment of the old connexion that stands by me, through long habit. some people suppose me to be wealthy. i wish for your sake they were right. but whatever i leave behind me, or whatever i can give you, you in such a house as dombey's are in the road to use well and make the most of. be diligent, try to like it, my dear boy, work for a steady independence, and be happy!'

'i'll do everything i can, uncle, to deserve your affection. indeed i will,' said the boy, earnestly

'i know it,' said solomon. 'i am sure of it,' and he applied himself to a second glass of the old madeira, with increased relish. 'as to the sea,' he pursued, 'that's well enough in fiction, wally, but it won't do in fact: it won't do at all. it's natural enough that you should think about it, associating it with all these familiar things; but it won't do, it won't do.'

solomon gills rubbed his hands with an air of stealthy enjoyment, as he talked of the sea, though; and looked on the seafaring objects about him with inexpressible complacency.

'think of this wine for instance,' said old sol, 'which has been to the east indies and back, i'm not able to say how often, and has been once round the world. think of the pitch-dark nights, the roaring winds, and rolling seas:'

'the thunder, lightning, rain, hail, storm of all kinds,' said the boy.

'to be sure,' said solomon, - 'that this wine has passed through. think what a straining and creaking of timbers and masts: what a whistling and howling of the gale through ropes and rigging:'

'what a clambering aloft of men, vying with each other who shall lie out first upon the yards to furl the icy sails, while the ship rolls and pitches, like mad!' cried his nephew.

'exactly so,' said solomon: 'has gone on, over the old cask that held this wine. why, when the charming sally went down in the - '

'in the baltic sea, in the dead of night; five-and-twenty minutes past twelve when the captain's watch stopped in his pocket; he lying dead against the main-mast - on the fourteenth of february, seventeen forty-nine!' cried walter, with great animation.

'ay, to be sure!' cried old sol, 'quite right! then, there were five hundred casks of such wine aboard; and all hands (except the first mate, first lieutenant, two seamen, and a lady, in a leaky boat) going to work to stave the casks, got drunk and died drunk, singing "rule britannia", when she settled and went down, and ending with one awful scream in chorus.'

'but when the george the second drove ashore, uncle, on the coast of cornwall, in a dismal gale, two hours before daybreak, on the fourth of march, 'seventy-one, she had near two hundred horses aboard; and the horses breaking loose down below, early in the gale, and tearing to and fro, and trampling each other to death, made such noises, and set up such human cries, that the crew believing the ship to be full of devils, some of the best men, losing heart and head, went overboard in despair, and only two were left alive, at last, to tell the tale.'

'and when,' said old sol, 'when the polyphemus - '

'private west india trader, burden three hundred and fifty tons, captain, john brown of deptford. owners, wiggs and co.,' cried walter.

'the same,' said sol; 'when she took fire, four days' sail with a fair wind out of jamaica harbour, in the night - '

'there were two brothers on board,' interposed his nephew, speaking very fast and loud, 'and there not being room for both of them in the only boat that wasn't swamped, neither of them would consent to go, until the elder took the younger by the waist, and flung him in. and then the younger, rising in the boat, cried out, "dear edward, think of your promised wife at home. i'm only a boy. no one waits at home for me. leap down into my place!" and flung himself in the sea!'

the kindling eye and heightened colour of the boy, who had risen from his seat in the earnestness of what he said and felt, seemed to remind old sol of something he had forgotten, or that his encircling mist had hitherto shut out. instead of proceeding with any more anecdotes, as he had evidently intended but a moment before, he gave a short dry cough, and said, 'well! suppose we change the subject.'

the truth was, that the simple-minded uncle in his secret attraction towards the marvellous and adventurous - of which he was, in some sort, a distant relation, by his trade - had greatly encouraged the same attraction in the nephew; and that everything that had ever been put before the boy to deter him from a life of adventure, had had the usual unaccountable effect of sharpening his taste for it. this is invariable. it would seem as if there never was a book written, or a story told, expressly with the object of keeping boys on shore, which did not lure and charm them to the ocean, as a matter of course.

but an addition to the little party now made its appearance, in the shape of a gentleman in a wide suit of blue, with a hook instead of a hand attached to his right wrist; very bushy black eyebrows; and a thick stick in his left hand, covered all over (like his nose) with knobs. he wore a loose black silk handkerchief round his neck, and such a very large coarse shirt collar, that it looked like a small sail. he was evidently the person for whom the spare wine-glass was intended, and evidently knew it; for having taken off his rough outer coat, and hung up, on a particular peg behind the door, such a hard glazed hat as a sympathetic person's head might ache at the sight of, and which left a red rim round his own forehead as if he had been wearing a tight basin, he brought a chair to where the clean glass was, and sat himself down behind it. he was usually addressed as captain, this visitor; and had been a pilot, or a skipper, or a privateersman, or all three perhaps; and was a very salt-looking man indeed.

his face, remarkable for a brown solidity, brightened as he shook hands with uncle and nephew; but he seemed to be of a laconic disposition, and merely said:

'how goes it?'

'all well,' said mr gills, pushing the bottle towards him.

he took it up, and having surveyed and smelt it, said with extraordinary expression:

'the?'

'the,' returned the instrument-maker.

upon that he whistled as he filled his glass, and seemed to think they were making holiday indeed.

'wal'r!' he said, arranging his hair (which was thin) with his hook, and then pointing it at the instrument-maker, 'look at him! love! honour! and obey! overhaul your catechism till you find that passage, and when found turn the leaf down. success, my boy!'

he was so perfectly satisfied both with his quotation and his reference to it, that he could not help repeating the words again in a low voice, and saying he had forgotten 'em these forty year.

'but i never wanted two or three words in my life that i didn't know where to lay my hand upon 'em, gills,' he observed. 'it comes of not wasting language as some do.'

the reflection perhaps reminded him that he had better, like young norval's father, '"ncrease his store." at any rate he became silent, and remained so, until old sol went out into the shop to light it up, when he turned to walter, and said, without any introductory remark:

'i suppose he could make a clock if he tried?'

'i shouldn't wonder, captain cuttle,' returned the boy.

'and it would go!' said captain cuttle, making a species of serpent in the air with his hook. 'lord, how that clock would go!'

for a moment or two he seemed quite lost in contemplating the pace of this ideal timepiece, and sat looking at the boy as if his face were the dial.

'but he's chockful of science,' he observed, waving his hook towards the stock-in-trade. 'look'ye here! here's a collection of 'em. earth, air, or water. it's all one. only say where you'll have it. up in a balloon? there you are. down in a bell? there you are. d'ye want to put the north star in a pair of scales and weigh it? he'll do it for you.'

it may be gathered from these remarks that captain cuttle's reverence for the stock of instruments was profound, and that his philosophy knew little or no distinction between trading in it and inventing it.

'ah!' he said, with a sigh, 'it's a fine thing to understand 'em. and yet it's a fine thing not to understand 'em. i hardly know which is best. it's so comfortable to sit here and feel that you might be weighed, measured, magnified, electrified, polarized, played the very devil with: and never know how.'

nothing short of the wonderful madeira, combined with the occasion (which rendered it desirable to improve and expand walter's mind), could have ever loosened his tongue to the extent of giving utterance to this prodigious oration. he seemed quite amazed himself at the manner in which it opened up to view the sources of the taciturn delight he had had in eating sunday dinners in that parlour for ten years. becoming a sadder and a wiser man, he mused and held his peace.

'come!' cried the subject of this admiration, returning. 'before you have your glass of grog, ned, we must finish the bottle.'

'stand by!' said ned, filling his glass. 'give the boy some more.'

'no more, thank'e, uncle!'

'yes, yes,' said sol, 'a little more. we'll finish the bottle, to the house, ned - walter's house. why it may be his house one of these days, in part. who knows? sir richard whittington married his master's daughter.'

'"turn again whittington, lord mayor of london, and when you are old you will never depart from it,"' interposed the captain. 'wal'r! overhaul the book, my lad.'

'and although mr dombey hasn't a daughter,' sol began.

'yes, yes, he has, uncle,' said the boy, reddening and laughing.

'has he?' cried the old man. 'indeed i think he has too.

'oh! i know he has,' said the boy. 'some of 'em were talking about it in the office today. and they do say, uncle and captain cuttle,' lowering his voice, 'that he's taken a dislike to her, and that she's left, unnoticed, among the servants, and that his mind's so set all the while upon having his son in the house, that although he's only a baby now, he is going to have balances struck oftener than formerly, and the books kept closer than they used to be, and has even been seen (when he thought he wasn't) walking in the docks, looking at his ships and property and all that, as if he was exulting like, over what he and his son will possess together. that's what they say. of course, i don't know.

'he knows all about her already, you see,' said the instrument-maker.

'nonsense, uncle,' cried the boy, still reddening and laughing, boy-like. 'how can i help hearing what they tell me?'

'the son's a little in our way at present, i'm afraid, ned,' said the old man, humouring the joke.

'very much,' said the captain.

'nevertheless, we'll drink him,' pursued sol. 'so, here's to dombey and son.'

'oh, very well, uncle,' said the boy, merrily. 'since you have introduced the mention of her, and have connected me with her and have said that i know all about her, i shall make bold to amend the toast. so here's to dombey - and son - and daughter!'

虽然董贝父子公司的营业所位于伦敦城的辖区之内，鲍教堂1的钟所发出的响亮声音在没有被街道的喧嚣淹没时，在这里是可以听得见的，但在邻近某些地方仍然可以看得见英勇冒险、情节离奇的传说的遗迹。高格和马高格2的尊严神态，在十分钟步行的距离之内就可以看见；伦敦皇家交易所就在近旁；英格兰银行是它最宏伟的近邻，它地下的保险库中，“在下面的空瓶子中间3”，装满了金银。在街道拐角上矗立着富有的东印度公司4，它使人接连不断地联想起贵重的织物、宝石、老虎、象、象轿5、水烟筒、雨伞、棕榈树、四人或六人抬的大轿，还有那皮肤褐色、坐在地毯上的豪华的王子们，他们的便鞋前端是高高翘起的。在邻近的任何地方都可以看到画着张满风帆、飞速驶向世界各地的船舶的图画，也可以看到旅行用品仓库，它们可以在半小时之内把任何人到任何地方去所需要的旅行用品装备齐全；还可以看到在航海仪器制造商人的店门外有一些小小的、木制的海军军官候补生，穿着陈旧过时的海军制服，永远在监视着出租马车。

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1鲍教堂（bowchurch）：位于伦敦市中心；它的钟声所及之处，就是伦敦市的市区。

2高格和马高格（gogandmagog）：是伦敦市政厅门前的两个木雕巨像；相传马格是过去的君王，马高格是另一位传说中的英雄。

3这是古老的祝酒词中的话语。

4东印度公司（eastindiahouse）：存在于1600年至1858年的英国贸易公司。公司长期垄断了对印度的贸易，并操纵了这个国家最重要的管理职能。

5象轿：驮在象背上可供数人乘坐的凉亭状座位。

有些海军军官候补生的模拟像我们可以不客气地称为最像木头那样死板的，它们以一种使人极难以忍受的谦恭有礼的神气，伸出右腿，矗立在人行道上；它们的鞋扣和带翻领的背心的式样是人们的理智最难以接受的；它们还拿了一件仪器，放在右眼附近，那仪器的大小十分不合比例，使人看了极为不快。在这些模拟像当中，有一个模拟像的唯一的主人与所有者，也就是说那个海军军官候补生的唯一的主人与所有者（他以他而感到自豪），是一位上了年纪、带威尔士假发的、有身份的先生；他支付房租、税金和应付费用的时间比许多有血有肉、完全长大成人的海军军官候补生的年龄还长；在英国海军中，年富力强的海军军官候补生是并不缺少的。

这位老先生的存货包括精密计时表、晴雨表、望远镜、罗盘、航海图、地图、六分仪、象限仪，以及用于确定船舶航线、进行船舶计算、研究船舶所在地的各种仪器的样品。在他的抽屉中和架子上存放着铜制的与玻璃制的物品；除了那些具有初步知识的人以外，谁也不能找出它们的顶部，或猜出它们的使用方法，或在看过它们之后，在没有帮助的情况下，能放回到它们桃花心木制的老窝里去。每一件东西都被塞进最紧凑的箱子中，装到最狭窄的角落里，后面用最不得当的软垫防护着，并用螺丝拧紧到最尖锐的角中，以防止它那像哲学家般的沉着镇静被海洋的滚滚波涛所扰乱。在所有的情况下都采取了这种不同寻常的预防措施，以便节省地方，把东西摆得紧凑。一切都适合于实际航行的要求，都用软垫防护，并都紧紧拧进每个箱子中（不论它们像有些箱子那样，是普通的四角形箱子，还是像另一些箱子那样，有些像三角帽、有些像海星的东西，或者是那些与其他箱子比较起来比较温柔和不大的箱子）；因此，在这种总的气氛的影响下，这个店铺本身似乎几乎都要变成一个温暖舒适、适于航海的、船舶形状的商店了，在突然下水的情况下，所缺少的只是足够行船的水面，能使它安全行驶到世界上任何一个荒岛上去。

这位对他的小海军军官候补生感到自豪的船舶仪器制造商的家庭生活中的许多细小情节，也加深和突出这样一种幻觉。他的熟人主要是船具商之类的人，所以他在餐桌上经常摆放着许多真正在船上吃的饼干。餐桌上也经常有肉干和舌干，散发出绳子麻线的气味；酸菜是用很大的批发的坛子端到餐桌上来的，坛子上贴着印有“经销船上各种食品”字样的标签；烈酒是用没有瓶颈的方瓶子端上的。墙上挂着的画框中是描绘船舶的老版画，船舶上的字母是指明各种秘密的；盘子上画着在前进中的鞑靼快速帆船；壁炉架上装饰着奇异的贝壳、海藻和苔藓；装有护壁板的小后客厅，像船舱一样，光线是从天窗中射进来的。

他像小商船的船长一样，和他的外甥沃尔特住在这里，没有别的人。沃尔特是一位十四岁的男孩子，他那副神态活像是一位海军军官候补生，这也进一步加深了上述总的印象。但事情到这里也就完结了，因为所罗门·吉尔斯本人（人们通常更喜欢管他叫老所尔），根本没有一位航海人员的外貌。他那威尔士假发自然不消说了，那是威尔士假发中最普通、最难梳理的，他带上它看上去一点也不像海盗。从其他方面来看，他是个慢条斯理，讲话平平静静，并喜爱思考的老人；他的眼睛红红的，仿佛是穿过迷雾看着您的小太阳；他的神态像是刚刚被唤醒的样子，如果他通过店中每一架光学仪器连续凝视三、四天之后，突然重新回到周围的世界上，发现它一片绿色的话，那么他就可能呈现出这样的神态。他的外表中唯一可以看到的变化是，他原来全身上下穿着一套咖啡色的服装，裁剪得宽松肥大，上面装饰着发亮的扣子，现在则仍旧穿着那同样咖啡色的上衣，但裤子却换成颜色较淡的本色布做的了。他衬衫的褶边整整齐齐；前额上架着一副最上等的眼镜；裤上的表袋中装着一只很大的精密计时表，他宁肯相信伦敦城里所有的钟表，甚至太阳都共同密谋来跟它作对，也决不会对他这个宝贵的财产产生怀疑。他现在就像过去一样，年复一年地这样待在这个小小的海军军官候补生身后的店铺中和客厅里；每天夜里他定时爬上远离其他房客的一个凄凉的顶楼中去睡觉，当安安逸逸住在下面的英国的先生们很少想到，或根本没有想到天气怎样的时候，这顶楼上却常常刮大风。

读者与所罗门·吉尔斯认识是在一个秋天下午的五点半钟。所罗门·吉尔斯那时正在看他那只完美无缺的精密计时表，看看是什么时候了。城市照常每天一次向外疏散人群，已经进行了一个小时或更长久一些；人的浪潮仍然向西滚滚流动着。就像吉尔斯先生所说的，“街上的人已经稀少得多了。”今天晚上好像要下雨。店铺里所有的晴雨表都呈现出垂头丧气的神态。雨滴已经在木制海军军官候补生的三角帽上闪耀着亮光。

“不知道沃尔特在哪里！”吉尔斯把精密计时表重新小心地藏好以后，说道，“晚饭已经准备好半个小时了，可是却不见沃尔特！”

吉尔斯先生在柜台后面的凳子上转过身子，通过橱窗中的仪器往外看，看看他的外甥是不是正在穿越马路。没有。他没有在那些摆动的雨伞中间。他也决不是那个戴油布帽子、卖报的男孩子，那男孩子正沿着外面的铜牌慢吞吞地走过去，并且用食指把自己的姓名写在吉尔斯先生的姓名上面。

“如果我不知道，他太爱我了，不会逃跑，也不会违反我的意愿，自己跑到船上去的话，那么我真要开始坐立不安了，”吉尔斯先生用指关节轻轻敲打着两、三个晴雨表。“我真会的！全都在很低的度数1，啊！湿气真大！唔，是需要下雨了。”

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1原文为allinthedowns，吉尔斯这样说是指晴雨表中的度数很低，但这又是英国剧作家和诗人约翰·盖伊（johngay，1685—1732年）著名叙事诗《温存的威廉和黑眼睛的苏珊告别》（sweetwiliam’sfarewelltoblack－eyedsusan）中开头的诗句，意为“船队全都在唐斯”。唐斯（thedowns）是英法之间多佛海峡的一部分，为船舶停泊处。狄更斯采用这种文字表现方法，是为了使读者感到幽默有趣。

“我觉得，”吉尔斯先生把一个罗盘匣子玻璃顶上的灰尘吹去，说道，“孩子总是喜欢跑到后客厅里去，你毕竟不能比他更直接更准确地指向后客厅。后客厅的方向是不能更正确的了。正北，不向其他方向偏离二十分之一度！”

“喂，所尔舅舅！”

“喂，我的孩子！”仪器制造商轻快地转过身去，喊道，“啊，你回来了，是吗？”

这是个兴致勃勃、快快活活的男孩子，由于冒雨回家来，显得十分精神；他的脸白嫩、漂亮，眼睛明亮，头发卷曲。

“唔，舅舅，我不在，你整天是怎么过的？晚饭好了吗？

我饿极了。”

“说到这一天怎么过嘛，”所罗门和颜悦色地说道，“如果像你这样一条小狗不在，我不能过得比你在的时候好得多，那就怪了。说到晚饭好了没有嘛，它已经准备好半个钟头了，正在等着你呢。说到饿嘛，·我也一样！”

“那么来吧，舅舅！”孩子喊道，“海军上将万岁！”

“去你的海军上将！”所罗门·吉尔斯回答道。“你是想说市长先生吧。”

“不，我不是想说他！”孩子喊道。“海军上将万岁！海军上将万岁！前——进！”

这道命令一下，威尔士假发和它的佩戴者就立刻毫无抵抗地被带领到后客厅去，就好像走在由五百人组成的攻入敌船的队伍的最前面似的；然后所尔舅舅和他的外甥很快就开始吃起煎箬鳎鱼来；旁边摆着的牛排是他们的下一道菜。

“永远是市长，沃利，”所罗门说道，“不要再提海军上将了。市长就是·你·的海军上将。”

“哦，难道是这样吗？”孩子摇摇头，说道，“唔，捧剑侍从也比市长强些。捧剑侍从有时还能抽出·他·们的剑来。”

“尽管他费尽力气，但还是显出一副愚蠢的样子，”舅舅回答道。“听我说，沃利，听我说。看那壁炉架。”

“哎呀，谁把我的银杯子挂在钉子上了？”孩子高声喊道。

“我挂的，”他的舅舅说道。“现在不用这种有柄的大杯子了。从今天起我们必须用玻璃杯喝了，沃尔特。我们是做生意的人。我们属于伦敦市。从今天早上起，我们开始过新的生活了。”

“好吧，舅舅，”孩子说道，“只要我能为你祝福就行，我可以用任何你喜欢的东西来喝。现在，所尔舅舅。为你的健康干杯！我还要为——”

“为市长欢呼。”老人打断他的话。

“为市长，为名誉郡长，为市参议会，为同业工会会员欢呼！”孩子说道，“祝他们万岁！”

舅舅十分满意地点点头。“现在，”他说道，“让我来听你谈谈公司的什么事情吧。”

“啊！公司的事情没有什么好谈的，舅舅，”孩子使用着刀和叉，说道，“那里有好多非常阴暗的办公室；在我坐的那个房间里，有一个很高的火炉围栏，一个铁的保险柜，一些关于即将启航的商船公告，一个日历，几张写字台和凳子，一个墨水瓶，几本书，几个箱子，还有好多蜘蛛网，其中有一个正好在我的头顶，里面有一只干瘪的青蝇，看上去挂在那里已经好久了。”

“没有别的了吗？”舅舅问道。

“是的，没有别的了，不过还有一只旧的鸟笼子，我不知道它怎么到那里去的！还有一个煤桶。”

“难道就没有银行存折、支票簿、证券或者其他象征着每天滚滚涌进来的财富之类的东西吗？”老所尔说道，一边通过那永远好像笼罩在他的四周的迷雾，渴望了解似地望着他的外甥，并故意讨好地强调那些词儿。

“啊是的，我想那会有好多，”他的外甥漫不经心地回答道，“不过所有那些东西都是在卡克先生的房间里，或者在莫芬先生的房间里，或者在董贝先生的房间里。”

“董贝先生今天在那里吗？”舅舅问道。

“啊是的。整天进进出出。”

“我想他没有注意到你吧。”

“不，他注意到了。他走到我的坐位跟前——我真但愿他不那么严肃，不那么生硬呆板，舅舅——，说，‘哦！您就是船舶仪器制造商吉尔斯先生的儿子吧。’我说，‘他的外甥，先生。’他说，‘我是说外甥，孩子。’但是，舅舅，我可以发誓，他确实是说儿子。”

“我想是你弄错了，这不要紧。”

“是的，这不要紧，但是我想，他不用那么严厉。虽然他确实是说儿子，但这话倒不含有什么恶意。然后他告诉我，你曾经对他说到我，因此他就在公司里给我找了个工作；他希望我勤勤恳恳工作，按时上班下班，然后他就走开了。我觉得他好像不是很喜欢我。”

“我想，你的意思是想说，”仪器制造商说道，“你好像不很喜欢他吧？”

“唔，舅舅，”孩子大笑着回答道，“也许是的。我从没有想到过这一点。”

所罗门吃完晚饭的时候，神情比刚才沉着一些；他不时向孩子快活的脸看一眼。当晚餐已经结束，桌布已经撤走（这顿饭菜是从邻近的小餐馆里取来的）以后，他点亮了一支蜡烛，下楼走到一个小地窖里；他的外甥则站在生了霉的楼梯上，孝顺地拿着蜡烛照他；他这里那里摸索了一番之后，不久就拿着一个样子很古老并积满了灰尘的瓶子回来了。

“哎呀，所尔舅舅！”孩子说道，“你想干什么？那是珍贵的马德拉白葡萄酒1呀！那里只剩下一瓶了。”

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1马德拉（madeira）是在非洲西北部大西洋中的一个岛，所产的葡萄酒很有名。

所尔舅舅点点头，表示他很清楚他想干什么。在一片肃静中，他拔出软木塞，倒满了两只玻璃杯，然后把酒瓶和第三只干净的空玻璃杯放在桌子上。

“沃利，”他说道，“当你交了好运的时候，当你成为一个取得成功、受人尊敬、生活幸福的人的时候，当你今天在生活中已经迈出的第一步将把你引向一条康庄大道上去的时候——我向上天祈祷，它会把你引向那里去的——，你将喝另外那瓶酒，我的孩子。为我对你的爱干杯！”

老所尔周围笼罩着的迷雾，有些似乎已经跑到他的喉咙里去了，因为他讲话的声音干哑了。当他和外甥碰杯时，他的手也哆嗦了。但是当他把酒杯一举到唇边的时候，他却像堂堂男子汉一样，一口喝光，然后咂咂嘴。

“亲爱的舅舅，”孩子眼中含着泪水，但却故意装出没把这件事放在心上的样子，说道，“为了感谢你对我所表示的恩情，等等，等等，我现在建议为所罗门·吉尔斯先生欢呼三乘三次再加一次。万岁！舅舅，当我们一起喝那最后一瓶酒的时候，你再来回敬我的这次祝酒，好吗？”

他们又碰了杯；沃尔特杯子里还剩着酒，他啜了一口，尽可能装出一副很有鉴别力的神气，把杯子举到眼睛前面。

他的舅舅坐在那里默默地看了他一些时候。当他们的眼光最终相遇时，他立刻开始把他脑子里思考的问题大声地继续说下去，仿佛他一直在说话似的。

“你知道，沃尔特，”他说道，“老实说，经营这个生意对我来说，是一种习惯。我在这个习惯中已经陷得很深，如果我抛弃了它的话，那么我就难以活下去。可是现在没有生意呀，没有生意。当穿那种制服的时候，”他指着小海军军官候补生说道，“确实，那时候是可以发财的，我也真的发了财。可是竞争呀，竞争呀——新发明呀，新发明呀，——改变呀，改变呀，——这世界已经从我的身边走过去了。我不知道我自己现在在哪里，更不知道我的顾客现在在哪里。”

“别去想那些事情，舅舅！”

“举个例子来说吧，你从佩克姆1寄宿学校2回家以后，已有十天了，”所罗门说道，“在这十天中，我记得只有一个人到这店里来过”。

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1佩克姆（peckham）：伦敦郊区的地方。

2原文为weeklyboardingschool，是指一个星期寄宿六天的学校。

“两个人，舅舅。你不记得了吗？不有个男子到这里来请求把一镑换成零钱——”

“就是那个人，”所罗门说道。

“怎么，舅勇！有一位女人到这里来问到迈尔·恩德收税栅的路怎么走法，难道你认为她就不是人吗？”

“噢！不错，”所罗门说道，“我把她给忘了。总共两个人。”

“当然，他们什么也没有买，”孩子喊道。

“是的，他们什么也没有买，”所罗门平静地说道。

“他们也不想买什么东西，”孩子喊道。

“是的。如果他们想买的话，那么他们会到别的店铺里去买的，”所罗门用同样的声调说道。

“不过他们是两个人呀，舅舅，”孩子喊道，仿佛那是个很大的胜利似的。“你刚才却说只有一个人。”

“唔，沃利，”老人在短时间的沉默之后继续说道，“我们不像到鲁滨孙·克鲁索1荒岛上去的野人那样，不能靠一位请求把一镑换成零钱的男子和一位问到迈尔·恩德收税栅的路怎么走法的女人来生活。我刚才说过，这世界已经从我身边走过去了。我不责怪它；但我不再了解它了。商人和过去的不一样了；徒弟和过去的不一样了；商业和过去的不一样了，商品和过去的不一样了。我的存货八分之七都是老式的。我们这条街和我记得的过去的那一条街已经不一样了；我是这条街上一个老式的店铺中的一位老式的人。我已经落在时间的后面了，我太老了，不能再赶上它了。甚至它在前面很远的地方所发出的声音也把我搞糊涂了。”

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1鲁滨孙·克鲁索（robinsoncrusoe）：是英国作家丹尼尔·笛福（danieldefoe，1660—1731年）所著小说《鲁滨孙漂流记》中的主人翁，他在一个杳无人烟的荒岛上度过了二十八年。

沃尔特想要讲话，但是他的舅舅举起了手。

“因此，沃利——因此，我渴望让你尽早到这个忙忙碌碌的世界里去，尽早走上这个世界的道路。我只是这个商店的一个幽灵——它的实体很久以前就已消亡了。当我死了的时候，它的幽灵就被埋葬了。很明显，那时候我将没有什么遗产留给你，因此我想，为了你的利益，最好利用我通过长期的习惯所保留下来的几乎唯一还存在的一丁点儿老关系。有些人认为我是富有的。为了你的缘故，我但愿他们是对的。可是不论我在死后会留下什么，也不论我能给你什么，你在董贝这样的公司里工作，就有可能好好地使用它，充分地利用它。我亲爱的孩子，做一个勤勉的人，设法喜爱你的事业吧，为了过长久的独立的生活而工作，并成为一个幸福的人吧！”

“我将尽量去做我所能做的一切，不辜负你对我的深情厚意，舅舅。我确实将会这样去做的，”孩子恳切地说道。

“我知道这一点，”所罗门说道，“我相信这一点，”他更加津津有味地喝着第二杯马德拉陈酒。“至于海洋，”他继续说道，“它在想象中是很好的，沃利，但实际上却并不是那样，根本不是那样的。你想到海洋，把它跟所有这些熟悉的东西联系起来，这是很自然的；但实际上它并不是那样的，它并不是那样的。”

可是所罗门·吉尔斯在谈到海洋的时候，却露出内心暗暗欣喜的神态，搓着手，并且怀着难以形容的踌躇满志的心情看着周围的航海物品。

“例如，想一想这葡萄酒吧，”老所尔说道，“我不知道它有多少次被运到东印度群岛，然后又运回来，有一次还周游了全世界。想一想那漆黑的夜，那怒吼的风和那滚滚的波涛吧！”

“想一想那雷，那闪电，那雨，那冰雹和那狂风暴雨吧！”

孩子说道。

“毫无疑问，”所罗门说道，“这葡萄酒曾经经历了这一切。想一想那船板和桅杆弯曲变形，发出了吱吱嘎嘎的响声吧，想一想那大风穿过缆绳和索具发出的长啸和怒号吧！”

“想一想当船在疯狂似地左右摇晃、前后颠簸的时候，船员们却往桅杆高处攀登，相互竞争谁先爬到帆桁上去卷收结冰的船帆吧！”他的外甥喊道。

“一点不错，”所罗门说道，“装着这酒的旧桶经受了这一切。唉！当‘妩媚的萨利’号沉没在——”

“波罗的海1，在深更半夜的时候，12点25分钟，这时船长衣袋里的表停止走了；他躺在大桅杆附近旁死去了，那是在1749年2月24日！”沃尔特十分兴奋地喊道。

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1波罗的海（baltiesea）：欧洲北部的内海。

“完全正确！那时候船上有五百桶这样的葡萄酒；当船开始往下沉没的时候，除了一位大副、一位海军上尉、两名船员和一位女士乘着一条漏水的小船离开了以外，船上所有其他的船员都去把酒桶敲破，喝得酩酊大醉，并在醉中死去，一边还唱着英国的爱国国歌，最后同声发出了可怕的一声尖叫。”

“但是舅勇，当‘乔治第二’号在1971年3月4日黎明前两小时在可怕的大风中向康沃尔1岸急驶的时候，船上有近二百匹马；在大风开始刮起来的时候，这些马在下面的底舱中挣脱了缰绳，来回狂奔，相互踩死；它们发出了十分嘈杂的声音，并发出了像人一样的叫声，船员们都以为船上充满了鬼怪，甚至那些最勇敢的人也六神无主，张惶失措，绝望地从船上跳入水中，最后只剩下两个人还活下来，向人们叙说这段经历。”

“而当，”老所尔说道，“当‘波利菲默斯’号——”

“这艘私人的西印度商船，载重量三百五十吨，船长是德普特福德人约翰·布朗。船主是威格斯公司，”沃尔特喊道。

“就是这艘船，”所尔说道，“当它乘着顺风，从牙买加2港开出四天以后，在夜间着火了……”

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1康沃尔（cornwall）：英国西南部的半岛。

2牙买加（jamaica）：位于加勒比海北部，邻近古巴和海地，是加勒比海的第三大岛。

“船上有两兄弟，”他的外甥打断他，说得很快，声音很大，“只有一条没有漏水的小船，但是装不下他们两人，兄弟两人谁也不同意到小船里去，后来哥哥抱着弟弟的腰，把他抛了进去。弟弟从小船中站起来喊道，‘亲爱的爱德华，想一想你在家中的未婚妻吧。我只是个孩子，家里没有人在等待我。跳到我这里来吧！’然后他自己就跳进海里去了！”

孩子对他们讲的事情真诚地感到激动，已经从坐位上站起来；他那闪闪发光的眼睛和发红的脸似乎在向老所尔提醒，他已经忘记了一些什么事情，或者提醒他，他四周的迷雾到现在已经消散了。虽然片刻之前他显然还打算讲一些奇闻轶事，但现在他已不再继续讲它们了。他短短地干咳了一声，说，“唔，我们换个话题吧。”

事实是，由于这位心地纯朴的舅舅本人暗中向往一切奇异和冒险的事迹——就他的职业来说，他和这类事迹也可说有几分远亲的关系——，他已经在他外甥的心中大大激起了同样向往的心情；一直来为诱导孩子不要从事冒险生涯所说的一切，通常总是激励了他对它的兴趣，这样的结果是无法解释的。情况总是这样，不会改变。为了劝告孩子们留在陆地上而写作的书本或讲述的故事，照例总是诱惑和吸引他们到海洋上去。似乎从来没有过相反的情形。

可是这时候来了一位先生，使这小小的聚会增加了一个人。他穿着一件宽阔的蓝外衣，在右腕下面有一个钩子，而不是一只手；他的眉毛又黑又浓，左手拿着一根粗大的手杖，手杖上有好多节，就像他鼻子上有好多疙瘩一样。他的脖子上宽松地系着一条黑色的绸围巾；衬衫领子很大，质地粗劣，看上去就像一面小船帆一样。显然，他就是那只空酒杯所等待的人。他也显然知道这一点；因为他脱去粗糙的外套，并把帽子挂在门后一个特别的木钉上以后，就把一张椅子移到那只空杯子旁边，面对着它坐下来。他的帽子是一顶上了光1的硬帽子，有怜悯心的人一看到它就会头疼；它在他的前额上留下了一道红圈，仿佛他一直戴着一个紧窄的盆子似的。他曾经是一位领港员，或一位小商船的船长，或一位私掠船船长，或这三种人都是。他那外貌确实像一位老海员。

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1指上了釉，擦亮了的。

他的脸是褐色的，结实的，十分引人注目；当他和舅甥两人握手的时候，他脸上露出了喜色；但他似乎生性是一位言辞简洁的人，只是说道：

“事情怎么样？”

“一切都好，”吉尔斯把酒瓶推到他那边，说道。

他拿起酒瓶，细细地看了一下，闻了一下，然后露出异乎寻常的表情，说道：

“是·它吗？”

“是·它，”仪器制造商回答道。

在这之后，他一边往杯子里倒酒，一边吹口哨，似乎在想，他们真正在欢庆节日呢。

“沃尔！”他用钩子梳理了一下稀疏的头发，然后指着仪器制造商，说道，“看着他！爱他！尊敬他！并服从他！翻一下你的《教义问答》，把这一段话找到1，找到的时候把书页折一下。祝你成功，我的孩子！”

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1“爱他！尊敬他！并服从他！”，这实际上是在婚礼仪式上说的话，并不是《教义问答》中的话。船长记错了。

他对这段语录和他的引用都十分满意，因此情不自禁地低声重复说着这段话，并说他在这四十年中已把它们忘记了。

“不过，吉尔斯，在我一生中还不曾发生过我不知道到哪里去找到我所需要的两、三个字的，”他说道，“因此，我不像有些人那样爱讲废话。”

这个意见也许提醒他，他最好像年轻的诺瓦尔1的父亲一样，“增加他的储存”，使他的知识更丰富一些。不管怎么样，他沉默下来，而且保持着沉默，直到老所尔离开餐桌到店铺里去点灯的时候，他才转向沃尔特，没有开场白，就说道：

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1诺瓦尔（norval）：苏格兰戏剧家琼·霍姆（jonehom，1722—1808年）所写悲剧《道格拉斯》（douglas）中的主人翁；该悲剧的主题取自苏格兰的叙事诗。

“我想如果他试一试的话，他能做出一只钟。”

“我对这不会奇怪，卡特尔船长，”孩子回答道。

“这只钟还能走！”船长用钩子在空中划了一道像一种蛇一样的线条，“我的天主，那种怎么会走哪！”

在一两秒钟的时间内，他似乎完全出神地在思考着这只理想的钟走动的快慢，并坐在那里看着孩子，仿佛他的脸是针盘似的。

“可是他脑子里装满了科学，”他用钩子指着那些存货，说道，“往这里看一看吧！这里是这些东西的集合：泥土、空气或水。这里全都有了。只要说一下你准备到哪里去就行了。你想乘汽球到天上去吗？那你就到那里了！你想乘潜水艇到水底下去吗？那你就到那里了！你是不是想把北极星放到天平上去称一称？他会给你办到。”

从这些话中可以看出，卡特尔船长对这些仪器的存货怀着深深的敬意；也可以看出，他对买卖这些仪器与发明这些仪器之间的区别没有什么理解或完全不理解。

“啊！”他叹了一口气，说道，“懂得它们是一件好事，可是不懂得它们也是一件好事。我真不知道哪一件更好一些。坐在这里，觉得你可能被称，被计量，被放大，被通电，被给以极性，被伤害，但却不知道是怎样做到这些的，这是一件愉快的事情。”

除了这奇妙的马德拉葡萄酒加上这令人高兴的时刻（他需要利用这时刻来提高和发展沃尔特的智力）之外，没有什么能打开他的话匣子，使他发表出这番精彩的言论。他自己似乎也感到很惊奇，这马德拉酒用这样一种方式使他看到了这十年来每逢星期天他在这客厅里吃晚饭时所享有的默默的喜悦的源泉。然后他变得忧伤，也更为慎重，就沉思着，默默无言。

“听着！”他所钦佩的对象回来了，喊道，“在你喝掺水的烈酒之前，内德，我们必须把这一瓶喝光。”

“做好准备！1”内德把他的酒杯倒满，说道，“给这孩子再倒一些。”

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1做好准备（standby）：船长命令船员们准备抛锚或准备执行其他任务时的用语。卡特尔船长时常讲这句话。

“不要了，谢谢你，舅舅！”

“不，不，”所尔说道，“再喝一点儿。我们得把这一瓶喝光，为公司干杯，内德——为沃尔特的公司干杯。是呀，有朝一日这个公司也可能将部分地属于他的呢。谁知道呢？理查德·惠廷顿1爵士不是娶了他主人的女儿吗？”

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1这本小说中多次提到英国民间故事中的主人翁理查德·惠廷顿（richardwhittington）。根据这个民间传说，500多年前，可怜的孤儿迪克（即理查德·惠廷顿）从农村到伦敦去碰运气，后来被善良的富商菲茨沃德收留，在他家中做工。迪克受不了厨娘的虐待，在一个万圣节的早上从家中逃出去。当他来到海盖特，在路边坐下来，不知该走哪条路的时候，突然在宁静的早晨的空气中传来了鲍教堂的钟声，仿佛对他说：“回去吧，惠廷顿，您是一个好公民。回去吧，惠廷顿，伦敦的市长！”钟声一遍又一遍地说着同样的话。于是他站起来转身顺原路回到主人家中，没有被人发现。北非有一个国家巴巴里耗子横行，国王由于从富商的商船中得到迪克送去出卖的小猫，制服了鼠害，就用贵重的宝石来换小猫，于是迪克发了大财。他和主人的女儿艾丽斯极为相爱，后来结了婚。此后不久，理查德·惠廷顿爵士三次出任伦敦市长。

“回去吧，惠廷顿，伦敦的市长，！当你老了的时候，你将永远也不会再离开它了，”船长打断他的话，说道，“沃尔，翻一翻书本，我的孩子。”

“只不过董贝先生没有女儿，”所尔开始说道。

“不，不，他有，舅舅，”孩子红着脸，大笑着说道。

“他有吗？”老人喊道。“不错，我想他也有女儿。”

“啊，我知道他有，”孩子说道。“公司里有些人今天还在办公室里谈起这些事。舅舅，卡特尔船长，”他压低了声音，“他们说他不喜欢她，不关心她，让她跟仆人住在一起；他的心思完全往一个地方想，就是要让他的儿子担任公司的合伙人；所以虽然他的儿子现在还只不过是个婴孩，可是他现在却要求公司的帐目比过去结得更勤一些，帐本比过去记得更细一些，甚至还有人看见他（他自以为没有被人看见）在码头上散步，一边望着他的商船和货物以及其他这一类东西，仿佛他看到他和他儿子将要共同占有这一切，于是就感到兴高采烈了。这是他们所说的。我当然什么也不知道。”

“你看，他已经了解了她的一切，”仪器制造商说道。

“胡说，舅舅，”孩子仍旧红着脸，大笑着，孩子气地喊道。“我怎么能不听到他们告诉我的话呢？”

“我担心，内德，这个儿子现在有些妨碍我们，”老人开玩笑地说道。

“非常妨碍，”船长说道。

“尽管这样，我们还是要为他祝酒，”所尔继续说道，“所以让我们来为董贝父子干杯！”

“啊，好极了，舅舅，”孩子开心地说道，“既然你们已经谈到了她，又把我跟她扯在一起，而且还说我已经了解了她的一切，那么我将不揣冒昧地把这祝酒词修改一下。让我们来为董贝父——子——女干杯！”